Electric-arc welding and cutting system



' 1,621 069 March. .15, 1927. c. J. HOLSLAG ELECTRIC ARC WELDING ANb CUTTING SYSTEM Original Filed Feb. 9, 1923 IIVl/E/VTOR C4400: J. 1 /045444:

A TTOR/VEV Patented Meals, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. vj

oEAUnE J. HoLsnAe, E sourn ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, AssIoNoE. TO ELEcrEIc no currme & WELDING column, or NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

E EcrRIc-An-c wELnrnc AND cU'rrINe SYSTEM. 1

Original application filed Februaryfi, 1923, Serial Iio. 61'7,919. Divided and this application filed October 8, 1924, Serial No. 742,497. Renewed September 1 8, 1926. a

This invention relates to electric arc weld ing and cutting, and is a division of my prior application, Serial No. 617,919 filed Febru ary 9, 1923. In said previous application it has been pointed out that for certain classes of work there is a demand for a resistor-re,

actor welding system which generally conslsts .of a su1table resistance, reactance, andthe necessary apparatus to connect these too gether into a welding system. 1

My present invention is directed to asys tem for supplying this special demand.

' In said previous application, I pointed out the advantages of a reactor having'a core which is automatically moved to give the necessary results and it is one of the objects of my present invention to enlarge on "this particular feature by pointing out and claiming more in detail the use ofa relay-reactor,

:0 which performs a double function of a relay and a reactor,- as the name implies.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for controlling a relatively high voltage of a directcurrent supply, so that 1 the voltage normally across the arc electrodes, when they are not in use, is reduced to a safe value, whereby operators will not receive injurious shocks; and furthermore automatically control the current so the are circuit is opened should the arc length be extended by the operator to a point where improper or poor welding'is being done.

ere only one operator 1s used across thesupply leads from a source of direct current 5 of a voltage considerably above the welding voltage, the loss in regulating resistances 1387-.

comes of greatimportance and it is, there fore, another object ofmy invention to provide a system in which these regulatinglosses W are reduced to a minimum. This'object is attained by an arrangement such that a plu-' rality of arcs ,may be operated across-the source of supply, thereby increasingthe efficiency of the system indirect ratio to the 5 number of operators served from a given voltage suppl In attaining the above stated object, control the arc voltage so that no long arc can beheld with disastrous results. 1..

W Other objects will be apparent to one skilled in this art after a study of the specification and drawing, wherein i Figure 1 is a schematic arrangement showing two operators connected across a three wire source of supply. J

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view of the reactor-relay shown in Fig. 1, but with all the levers, springs and contacts, etc., re-

-moved for the sake of clarity.

In the drawing I-have shown two welding, sets connected across the outside of a threewire system, theneutral being connected to the junction of the two sets so that either set to the rightonleft of the dotted line A/B may be operated across one side of the 66 three-wire system. The arrangement-is verysimilar. to that described in said previous application, except the relay 4 is simplified by having only one winding 8 connected to theadjustingo device 16 and one bf the arc electrodes. In this arrangement the contacts 12 are joined together by the member 13- by the actuation of the relay 4 on brin :ng the electrodes'1 and 3 together. The-re ish} 4 of itself is adapted to have an adjustment, which adjustment features, however, for the sake of clarity, are not shown in the drawing. The potentiometer 14 is of relativelyv high resistance and is provided with taps so that the proper voltagemay be a plied to the winding S'inaccordance' with the source of supply. The relay 4 performs similar services as the relay 4 in said previous application except that in this case as-the voltage across the arcraises to a point where the difi'eren'ce betweeiiit and the potentiometer voltage is less than the powerholding voltage of the relay, then the relay opens.

It will be readilyappreciated that since the arrangements shown in the .drawing are schematic that the principles of mywelding systems'may be carried out by the use of numerous designs, so far as the particular pieces of apparatus are concerned and I,

therefore, do not wish to be limitedto any particular design of a relay, or compensating or stabilizing resistance as these designs may be varied through a wide range.

what I claim is:

1. In an arc welding and putting system, a main source of current for the are, a

.st'eadying resistance -.in the arc circuit, a

potentiometer resistance connected to said source of supply and a relay for closing the arc circuit having a single winding c'ontinu ously connected in the same relationship across one are electrode and the potentiometer resistance intermediate its ends. 2. In an arc welding and cuttingsystem, a main source of current for the arc, a steadying resistance in the arc circuit, a potentiometer resistance connected to said source of supply and a relay for closing the are circuit, said relay having'a winding connect'ed into the potentiometerresistance for holding the arc circuit closed until the vvoltage across the arc increases to a predetermined value whereby the voltage across said relay winding falls below its holding-in value, and the-relay opens. e

3. In an arc welding and cutting system,

a main source of current for the arc, a

'steadying resistance in the arc circuit, a potentiometer resistance connected to said ource of supply and'a relay for closing the arc circuit, said relay having a'winding con.-

' nected into the potentiometer resistance for holding the arc circuit closed until the difference between. the potentiomter' voltage applied to the winding and the arc voltage is less than the holding power volts of saidwinding; Y c

.4. In an arc welding and cutting system, a main source of current for the arc, a steadying resistance in the arc circuit, a

' potentiometer resistance connected to said source of supply and a relay for closing the are circuit, said relay having a winding connected into thepotentiometer resistance-for holding'the arc circuit closed until the difference between the potentiometer voltage applied to the winding and the arc voltage is less than the holding power volts of said winding, and meansfor varying the opening point of the relay.

5. In an arc welding and cutting system? a source of D. C. current of relatively high voltage, means for reducing the voltage across the are electrodes 'to a normal safe value consisting of a potentiometer of relatively high resistance connected to said source of current, and a relay having a single windingiconnec'ting into said resist- I 1 ance intermediate its ends and to one of said electrodes, saidwinding ada ted to close the arc circuit when the e ectrodes: are

touched, and to open the arc circuit when the voltage across the arc is raised to a predetermined value.

6, In an arc Welding and cutting system, a sourceof D. C. current of relatively high voltage, means for limiting and controlling this voltage to a welding-voltage, consisting of; ,a potentiometer connected to said source of current, a steadying resistance in the arc circuit, and a relay with a single winding thereon connected between the potentiometer and one electrode and adapted to close the arc circuit at the relay when the electrodes are broughttogether and to open the arc circuit when the voltage across thearc is raised to a predetermined value.

7. In an arc welding and cutting system, a source of D. C. current of relatively high voltage, means for limiting and controlling this voltage to a welding voltage, consist ing of; a potentiometer connected to said source of current, a steadying resistance in the arc circuit a'nd a relay with a sin 10 winding thereon connected between 't e potentiometer and one electrode and adapted to close the arc circuit attherelay when the electrodes are brought together and to open the arc circuit when the voltage across the arc is raised to a predetermined value, and

means independent of the are for varying the closing and opening of the relay.

8'. In an arc welding and cutting system,

a source of D. C. currentof relatively high voltage, means for reducing the voltage across the are electrodes to a normal safe value consisting of a potentiometer resistance connected to saidsource of current, and a relay having a single winding connecting into said resistance intermediate its ends and to one of said electrodes, said winding adapted to close the arc circuit when the electrodes are touched, and to open the arc circuit when the voltage across the arc is;

ralsed to a predetermined value, said. relay winding further serving to aid in absorbing the kick voltage produced when the arc is broken. I

'In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature. 1

oLAUbE J; non-s ne. 

